One day in Lima

Day by day

1. Day 1: Plaza Mayor and Monastery of San Francisco

   Plaza Mayor, Monastery of San Francisco, Cathedral of Lima and Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI), then Huaca Pucllana in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Plaza Mayor

      Arrive before noon to see the changing of the guard at the Government Palace, which usually takes place around midday. Allow 1 hour.

   2. Late morning

      Monastery of San Francisco

      Visits are by guided tour; join one in English and allow time to wait for the next group at busy times. Allow 1 hour.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Ceviche

      Cevicherías across Miraflores, Barranco, San Isidro and Surquillo; many close by late afternoon.

   4. Afternoon

      Cathedral of Lima

      Visit both the cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace to see the palace's balcony views over the square. Allow 1 hour.

   5. Late afternoon

      Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI)

      Combine it with the Magic Water Circuit in the evening, a short taxi ride away. Allow 2 hours.

   6. Evening

      Huaca Pucllana

      Return in the evening for dinner on the restaurant terrace when the pyramid is lit.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Larco Museum (Pueblo Libre): Have lunch or dinner at the museum's garden café, among the bougainvillea.
• Swap in Museo Pedro de Osma (Barranco): Visit in the afternoon, then walk to the Puente de los Suspiros for sunset.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 6–6 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.4 hours in June to 12.8 hours in January.

Getting between stops: Bus. The Metropolitano is a bus rapid transit line on a dedicated lane along the Vía Expresa, linking Barranco and Miraflores with the historic centre in about 30 minutes.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Lima
• 3 days in Lima

Questions travellers ask